Lathrobium makaluicum, Assing, 2013

Assing, V., 2013, Six new species and additional records of Lathrobium from the Palaearctic region, Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (1), pp. 247-266 : 254

Lathrobium makaluicum nov.sp. ( Figs 8-13 , Map 2 )

Type material: Holotype ♂: "O Nepal 1980, W. Wittmer / Mumbug O Makalu 3500 m 9.6. / Holotypus ♂ Lathrobium makaluicum sp. n., det. V. Assing 2013" ( NHMB).

Etymology: The name is an adjective derived from the name of the mountain range where the type locality is situated.

Description: Body length 7.2 mm; length of forebody 3.1 mm. Coloration: forebody dark-brown; abdomen blackish; legs and antennae pale-reddish.

Head ( Fig. 8 ) 1.03 times as broad as long; punctation moderately coarse and rather sparse; interstices with distinct microreticulation. Eyes weakly projecting from lateral contours of head, approximately one third as long as postocular region in dorsal view and composed of approximately 30 ommatidia.

Pronotum ( Fig. 8 ) 1.18 times as long as broad and 1.02 times as broad as head; punctation similar to that of head; impunctate midline rather broad; interstices with microsculpture.

Elytra ( Fig. 8 ) short, 0.53 times as long as pronotum; humeral angles weakly marked; punctation shallow and rather sparse; interstices without distinct microsculpture. Hind wings completely reduced.

Abdomen 1.1 times as broad as elytra; punctation fine and moderately dense, somewhat sparser on tergites VII-VIII than on tergites III-VI; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly convex.

♂: protarsomeres I-IV strongly dilated; sternite VII ( Fig. 9 ) distinctly transverse and with rather extensive postero-median impression, this impression with moderately modified stout black setae, posterior margin weakly concave; sternite VIII ( Fig. 10 ) distinctly transverse, middle with distinct longitudinal impression, this impression narrowly without setae along the middle, on either side of middle with extensive oblong cluster of numerous moderately modified stout black setae, posterior margin indistinctly concave in the middle; aedeagus ( Figs 11-13 ) 1.15 mm long and symmetric; ventral process curved and apically very acute in lateral view, apex narrowly truncate in ventral view; dorsal plate with moderately long and lamellate apical portion, and with short, weakly sclerotized basal portion; internal sac with dark membranous structures.

♀: unknown.

Comparative notes: Based on the external (habitus, coloration, presence of microsculpture on the pronotum) and the male sexual characters, L. makaluicum undoubtedly belongs to the L. nepalense group. In the key in ASSING (2012b), it would key out at couplet 13, together with the externally similar L. diremptum and L. bibarbatum from Taplejung district in eastern Nepal. It is distinguished from these species by the different shape and chaetotaxy of the male sternite VIII and by the different morphology of the aedeagus (shape of ventral process and of dorsal plate; internal structures).

Distribution and natural history: Thetypelocality is situated to east of the Makalu range in eastern Nepal ( Map 2 ). The holotype was collected at an altitude of 3500 m.

Figures

Map 2: Type localities of Lathrobium uttaricum nov.sp. (triangle), L. hartmanni nov.sp. (circle), and L. makaluicum nov.sp. (diamond).

Figs 8-13: Lathrobium makaluicum nov.sp.: (8) forebody; (9) male sternite VII; (10) male sternite VIII; (11-12) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (13) apical portion of aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: 8: 1.0 mm; 9-12: 0.5 mm; 13: 0.2 mm.